Elmsdale Road

It’s not often that you come across a street in London that has a real community feel, but Elmsdale Road in Walthamstow is one of them. The street opens its gardens once a year for charity, and neighbours and strangers do the rounds of the houses, admiring the gardens and eating cake.

The houses on the street all have very long, thin gardens, and unusually, many of them are only divided by chainlink fences. I take that as a sign that everyone gets on, and don’t feel the need to barricade themselves in as so many people do these days.

My two favourite gardens (apart from Mel’s, of course, which I’ve featured before) were divided into sections so you couldn’t see the whole garden at once. They both had formal layouts but loose, informal planting and were stuffed to the gills with plants and trees. When I finally get my garden (I’m now looking in earnest, so watch this space) this is the look I’ll be going for.